Segments in this Video

Changing Our Behavior(07:38)

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Americans waste more than 40% of fruits and vegetables grown; rotting food releases methane gases into the atmosphere. In Nogales, Yolanda Soto runs the Borderlands Food Bank, which distributes unacceptable crops to non-profit agencies within the United States and Mexico. Sergio Ballesteros inspects produce brought over from Mexico.

San Francisco, California(03:54)

Robert Reed explains that half of the trash sent to landfills can be composted. Recology provides compost bins and a compactor to all the restaurants located in the Ferry Building.

Jepson Prairie Organics(03:00)

Replacing Nutrients(01:49)

Nigel Walker explains how he uses food scraps from San Francisco to feed his crop yields. Recology is certified organic compost.

Brooklyn, New York(07:44)

Vandra Thorburn ferments food waste using a Japanese process called Vokashi. A white fungus forms when it is working. Every month she collects food waste buckets from her neighbors and makes compost from sawdust for the golf course.

Make Food, Not Waste, Episode 10

Description

Americans throw away 34 million tons of food each year. That’s like tossing a quarter of the groceries we buy directly into the trash. But where some see garbage, others find green gold. Explore the secret life of food scraps, landfills and the people who love them. San Francisco is leading the charge in composting municipal food waste.